Official Federal Data
Blue Earth County, Minnesota
FIPS 27013 · Mankato, MN · Population 69,871
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$74,477 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$5.6B ▲
GDP
34.2% ▼
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$74,477 ▲
Per Capita
$37,155 ▲
Mean Household
$93,438 ▲
Poverty Rate
15.7% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Blue Earth County$74,477
Minnesota$89,062
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 19.7%
18-34 · 34.4%
35-54 · 20.8%
55-64 · 9.8%
65+ · 15.3%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.1 pts
34.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 1.5 pts
11%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 3.1 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
69,871
Population
39,999
Labor Force
Employed
38,013
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4% ▲ +0.7 pts YoY
Mean Commute 10 min below national avg
16.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.5%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 15.7%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Young population: Median age of 32 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 9,782 workers (30.8% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $63,822.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $5.6B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $93,905 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $22,417, a 4.2x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Health Care & Social Assistance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
5,344
Cluster Employment
3.15x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
3.15x 2,870
Animal Production and Aquaculture
3.09x 222
Food Manufacturing
2.45x 1,159
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.23x 845
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
2.18x 355
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.92x 758
Social Assistance
1.87x 2,474
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
1.85x 704
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.67x 466
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
1.66x 905
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.31x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
92 employed
0.42x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
100 employed
0.44x
Administrative and Support Services
1,006 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Nursing and Residential Care Facilities concentrates at 3.15x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 4 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$266,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,123 ▲
Rent/Mo
61.4% ▼
Owner-Occ
7.6% ▼
Vacancy
3.6x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$971/mo
1 Bedroom
$977/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,171/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,629/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,916/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,862/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.6x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,862/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
45,429 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 10 min below national avg
16.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
85.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
34.2% ▼
HS Diploma+
94.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
49,702/yr
14,847/yr
13,676/yr
12,870/yr
3,728/yr
2,468/yr
2,113/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
15.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
38.3%
Service
19.6%
Sales & Office
17.4%
Construction / Maint.
8.1%
Production / Transport
16.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 38,013 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 16.8-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 41,393 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Blue Earth County shows meaningful potential for nursing and residential care facilities attraction, with a 3.15x concentration and 2,870 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across nursing and residential care facilities, animal production and aquaculture, and food manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Blue Earth County, Minnesota, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
69,871 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
$74,477 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
$5.6B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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